Story Interviews

Story Interviews

A close cousin to Character Interviews.

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  • Created Sun Aug 07, 2016 3:01 pm

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Shattered Embers

58 posts in this topic.

  1. BeTheChange
    BeTheChange · Aug 16, 2018
    “Shattered Embers” is the title of my current work in progress. It’s not on YWS, but I might post it eventually. Idk.

    The basic premise is that, due to a chemical being dumped into one town’s drinking water, many children develop powers/mutations. The main character has wings; he’s abused and neglected because his parents think he’s a monster. Through a chain of events, he escapes. But he’s still haunted by his past...

    The genre is science fiction.

    It’s set in Delbrooke, Georgia—a fictional town in the Southern USA.

    Any questions are great, but I’d especially love some about the characters! :)
  2. Mageheart Creator
    Mageheart · Aug 16, 2018
    That sounds really interesting!

    To start things off, what's the most unique trait your main character has? Also, why was the chemical dumped in the water in the first place?
  3. BeTheChange
    BeTheChange · Aug 16, 2018
    1. His wings are pretty unique! :) He also has fire powers, if that counts.

    2. The former governor of that state was bribed into letting some factories dispose of different chemicals wherever they wanted. And they happened to choose the local watershed. (That politician was later exposed and disgraced, but it was too late to prevent any effects on the children.)
  4. Mageheart Creator
    Mageheart · Aug 16, 2018
    Oooh, I especially love that backstory! Does the governor show up later on, too, or is he just part of the story behind the powers?
  5. BeTheChange
    BeTheChange · Aug 16, 2018
    He’s just a background character, but his successor is actually the main character’s father.
  6. Mageheart Creator
    Mageheart · Aug 16, 2018
    Interesting! I'm guessing that's not a good thing, based on what you said about how the protag was treated by his parents. By the way, what's the protag's name?
  7. BeTheChange
    BeTheChange · Aug 16, 2018
    It’s definitely not a good thing!M

    His full name is Colin Virgil Hartford II, but he always goes by Cove, in order to distance himself from his heritage.
  8. Mageheart Creator
    Mageheart · Aug 16, 2018
    I like that nickname! It's really creative and definitely is going to be a memorable one.

    Does Cove have any siblings, or people he would consider to be like them?
  9. BeTheChange
    BeTheChange · Aug 16, 2018
    He has one brother (Samuel), who abandons him and goes back to their parents.

    And he eventually meets three other mutants (Caitlin, Iris, and Mercy) who become like sisters to him.
  10. soundofmind
    soundofmind · Aug 16, 2018
    I'm curious!! OOoo!! Mutants with powers is always cool, but now I'm wondering what exactly is the big-picture plot, if you have one? Like, what kind of things from Cove's past haunt him? Do they... catch up to him? Is he forced to face them? WHAT AReeeEEee THEy (lol)

    Also ooOO yay friend characters!! What powers do Caitlin, Iris, and Mercy have? Which one's closest to Cove?
  11. BeTheChange
    BeTheChange · Aug 16, 2018
    He has PTSD from being abused so badly. And his parents are still looking for him, as well.

    Caitlin has extreme strength, and Mercy can fly and see through walls. As for Iris, she can read people’s emotions and summon a forcefield. (She’s probably the closest to Cove by the end.)
  12. soundofmind
    soundofmind · Aug 16, 2018
    Oh man :( poor Cove!! Do his parents ever find him?

    And oooo!! What are their personalities like? Cove, and the girls!
  13. BeTheChange
    BeTheChange · Aug 16, 2018
    They find him eventually, but he escapes for good. And they’re arrested in the end. :)

    Cove is very shy and quiet, and he pretty much hates himself; but he’s also gentle, compassionate, and kind.

    Caitlin is kind of a jerk at the beginning xD She has a serious temper. And she’ll do anything for her family.

    Mercy is really sweet and extroverted. In fact, she’s probably the most talkative of any of them. But she has a serious side, as well.

    Iris also loves people, but she’s calmer and more “toned-down” than Mercy. She doesn’t trust easily (well, none of them do, to be honest).
  14. BluesClues
    BluesClues · Aug 17, 2018
    So is Cove just trying to distance himself from his parents because his dad is the old governor's successor, or is there more to his dark and secret past?

    Also, what's the main Plot of the story? What are Cove and his peers trying to do once they get their powers and find each other? Are they trying to stop the people who are dumping chemicals, or is there something else going on that they're worried about?
  15. BeTheChange
    BeTheChange · Aug 17, 2018
    1. He wants to distance himself from his parents because they nearly destroyed him, both mentally and physically.

    2. The chemicals aren’t an issue anymore. Everyone’s main problem is trying to take down the labs where a lot of mutants are being experimented on. Also, another important part of the story is Cove adjusting to a normal life after everything that happened to him.


In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
— JRR Tolkien